The Wrong One
by GravityMuse
Summary: At least once in her life, every Halliwell woman falls in love with the wrong man. A one-shot extending a scene from the final episode.


At least once in her life, every Halliwell woman falls in love with the wrong man. Piper used to think she'd gotten it out of her system early, what with the perfect boyfriend who turned out to be a soul-crunching warlock set on wiping out her entire family.

"It doesn't even have to be someone demonic," Piper says to Paige as she ties the strings on the back of Phoebe's complicated dress. "I mean, there's certainly precedent for it, starting with Melinda and the warlock who had her burned at the stake. And Grams and the Necromancer, and Prue with Bane, the devil's errand boy, and Phoebe with Cole, of course."

"Hello. Standing right here."

"I know, hon." Piper pats Phoebe's arm, and pulls another string tight, causing her younger sister to let out a tiny scream.

"Well, I never dated one of the underworld's most wanted," Paige smirks.

"Yeah, but you certainly racked up your share of the wrong guys," Phoebe chimes in. "There's Richard, the unstable magic man. And Kyle, the not entirely sane FBI dude. Not to mention Glenn. Or that married guy."

"Glenn was my friend."

"And in love with someone else," Piper adds. "Which pretty much makes him the definition of the wrong guy."

"Oh, OK, this is starting to sound pathetic. Next you're going to tell me that Sam was mom's wrong guy."

"I was planning on not mentioning that, because, hey, bright side, we got you," Piper says. "But, yeah. Sam fits the pattern pretty neatly."

"So is there an upside to this story?" Phoebe asks, blowing a perfectly sculpted brown curl off her forehead.

"The upside is this. Falling in love with the wrong guy, and then having the strength to live through the aftermath, is what makes us absolutely ready for the right guy when he comes along. Particularly if that guy is something we never expected, like a cop or a cupid, or even if he's the one we thought was the wrong guy, but turns out to be the right one all along."

"Ah," Paige says, nodding her head. "So Jeremy wasn't your wrong guy after all."

"This is all so romantic and all, but I'm trying to figure out how any of this relates to my wedding day, which is, oh, now."

"Sorry, Pheebs," Piper says, hugging her sister tight. "I promise, the rest of the day will be about you, you, you, and oh, you. Nothing but you."

"It can be about Coop a little, too," Phoebe grins. "Just a little. He's going to look so good in his suit."

"All our men are out there, looking sharp in their suits," Paige says. "Even little Chris."

"Which means that we should probably join them." Piper looks anxiously at the clock on the wall.

"Come on, this is the best thing about a magical wedding. No real guests, so nothing starts until the bride decides she's ready," Phoebe says.

"Uh, you want to keep the Angel of Destiny waiting, it's your husband she can take this time," Piper shoots back.

"Husband," Phoebe giggles. "You said husband. Coop is going to be my husband."

"OK, pretty lady," Paige says sternly, grasping her sister's hand. "Let's get this going."

The three sisters enter the great hall, a room lit by the glow of soft candles and the moon rising just outside the windows, bathing the altar in a beautiful blue light. The Angel of Destiny, resplendent in her silvery robes, is flanked by Victor and Leo holding the boys on her right, and Coop and Henry on her left. As music begins to chime, the men all turn and watch the women they love walk toward them.

"Are you ready?" Piper whispers to her sister.

"I think," Phoebe replies.

"It's not easy marrying someone who's not mortal."

"Piper! Now is not the time," Paige hisses.

"Let me finish!" Piper says. "It's not easy, but if your love is true, it's completely worth it."

"OK, enough advice." Phoebe leans over to kiss Paige on the cheek, and then does the same for Piper. Her sisters each let go of her hands, and take a step back toward their own husbands, as Phoebe stands beside Coop.

"Glad to see you've joined us, ladies," the Angel of Destiny says with a smile. Piper scowls in response, taking possession of Phoebe's rather large bouquet. She steps back, and stumbles slightly. Leo immediately stretches out a hand to steady her.

"You OK?" he whispers.

"Yeah. New heels. How are you?"

"A little cold, strangely enough, but other than that, we're all good. Right, Chris?" He smiles down at his younger son, who giggles back in response. Chris is the happiest baby either Piper or Leo have ever seen; it's still a miracle to his parents how the chaos of their lives have had absolutely no effect on his sunny disposition.

Across the aisle, Paige smiles up at Henry, as she takes her place behind Coop. "It doesn't seem so long ago that we were the ones getting hitched," she murmurs to her husband.

"That's because it wasn't that long ago," he grins back. "Now be quiet, so your sister can get married."

The words that are spoken next flow over Phoebe, and she doesn't even bother to listen to their meaning. She can only see Coop, this beautiful man before her looking at her with all the love in the world enclosed within his shining brown eyes. He holds her hands in his as they are joined in the same type of magical ceremony she's secretly dreamed of having ever since her sister's wedding day, and even though her mom and her grams and Prue aren't there, she feels them, and all the Halliwell women who came before them, blessing her union.

When she married Cole, it was all wrong: the big, pretentious show, the interrupted ceremony, the demonic priest in a dank, dark chapel. When she married Dex, it was all wrong, too: city hall, strangers instead of her sisters as witnesses, a different name on the marriage license.

Here, in this beautiful place, with Piper and Leo and Henry and Paige and Chris and Wyatt and her dad, it's the people she loves most, witnessing her final step toward happiness, toward a reconciliation with her destiny, her gifts, her magic, toward love.

Phoebe Halliwell marries Cupid. Who woulda thunk?

Paige can't help but make a face at Chris, who is smiling directly at her. It's been difficult, but she can finally see her nephew for who he is now, and not who he was before. She hopes that none of these daughters Phoebe wants so badly ever feels the need to travel back from the future and make things confusing and complicated for their aunt.

Her hands are full with her sister's ridiculous bouquet, and Leo is balancing Chris in both arms, but Piper still manages to brush her fingers against her husband's. Weddings always remind her of just how lucky she is to have found him. Leo's thoughts are almost identical; he has to fight to overcome the urge to sweep his wife into a deep kiss at the Angel of Destiny's words. He is still training himself to remember that they'll have time later, that no one is coming to rip him away from her before he can kiss her again.

Henry fidgets in his ill-fitting suit. He's so tall, he can never buy his clothes straight off the rack, they always have to be tailored and even then, the fit is rarely ever right. How did Leo get so close to Piper? He started off directly across from Henry, and now there's like a foot between him and Paige, while Piper and Leo are practically holding hands. Should he step closer to his wife? No, that would probably be distracting. This ceremony should be over soon, though you never know with magic. Henry stifles a frown at the possibility of staying in his uncomfortable suit much longer.

Victor shifts his oldest grandson from his right side to his left, glad for once that Wyatt is such a quiet toddler. He remembers his own wedding day, and marvels over the miracle that is his daughters. He says a quick prayer to Patty that Phoebe and Coop will be happier than they were, that the days ahead will be smoother than the ones that have followed every other Halliwell wedding.

Phoebe Halliwell lifts her chin, and he leans down to kiss her, this brand new husband of hers. Third time's a charm, she thinks, as Coop's lips meet her own.


End file.
